Promises a Quick Win – your lead magnet must hold out the promise of delivering one thing quickly

Is Highly Specific – the more specific the better. Instead of ‘How To Improve Your Social Media Presence’ go for ‘How To Get 15K New Followers on Twitter in 14 Days’

Easy to Consume – avoid lengthy reports, anything where the potential subscriber can see there’s a big upfront time investment. Instead go for Checklists, Swipe Files, and Cheat Sheets.

High Value – your Lead Magnet must be of high value but also needs to be perceived as high value.

Offers Immediate Gratification – in this day and age we want everything NOW! – your Lead Magnet must be something they can get immediate access to.

Demonstrates Your Expertise – when the subscriber uses your Lead Magnet, it should leave them feeling that you are an authority on that topic. (This last point is less important than the other six since we are focusing on a potential subscriber who hasn’t yet signed up and hasn’t yet downloaded your lead magnet).

The 7 Most Popular Lead Magnets

You’re probably wondering by now, what are these lead magnets that convert so well?

There are 7 of them and here they are:

Checklists

Cheat Sheets

Templates

Swipe Files

Toolkits

Worksheets

PDF Versions

1. Checklists

Checklists, as the name implies, are simply a list of items with a check box against each item. It’s a list of tasks, often ordered in a certain way. They can be used in any industry and any niche. Here are some examples:

List of things to pack when going on vacation

List of things to do to promote a blog post

List of things to do to optimize a blog post for SEO

Checklists work well as lead magnets because they give the reader the main points on a single page.

2. Cheat Sheets

Cheat sheets are like checklists, but instead of a list of tasks, they give you a list of tips or guidelines for achieving a particular result.

Cheat Sheets are appealing because they condense a topic into a few main points.

3. Templates

Strictly speaking, a template is a file that serves as a starting point for a new document. But in this context, it's any standardized content containing blanks that the user fills in to customize the content. Examples are:

Influencer Outreach email templates

Facebook Ad templates

Templates are very popular because they give the user a head start and give them a proven foundation for doing something (emailing prospects, creating ads for Facebook).

4. Swipe Files

A swipe file is a file where you collect examples of things you like. For example, I keep swipe files of:

Lead Magnets that I think are very effective

Author Bios that are fresh and original

About Pages that grab my attention

A swipe file might contain the 50 best headlines you've ever seen in an email campaign.

Swipe files work well as lead magnets because they’re real-life examples of things that have been tried and tested and work. And the user can implement them straight away.

5. Toolkits

These are also called ‘Resource Lists’. Toolkits are simply a list of all the tools and resources that you use to run your online business.

Toolkits work well as a lead magnet because potential subscribers are genuinely curious about the tools you use. They want to know how to save time or how to get better results – but there are so many competing products out there, they want to know what tools the experts are using.

6. Worksheets

A Worksheet is usually geared towards a particular task. Typically, it asks questions and provides a space where the user can give a response. In other words, a Worksheet walks the reader through a process. Examples are:

How to set up an Adwords campaign

How to choose a niche for your blog

Worksheets work well where people feel they need to be ‘walked through’ a process.

7. PDF Versions

These are simply a PDF version of your blog post. Of all lead magnets, they’re the easiest to create. Just add some nice formatting to your Word file, and hit ‘Save as PDF’.

PDF Versions work as lead magnets because if your article is full of useful tips, your readers want a hard copy they can refer to later. Also, when you offer a PDF version as a content upgrade, you can offer 2 or 3 extra tips that are not included in the original blog post.

The more information you ask for, the fewer optins you get – don't ask for names, just an email address.

Rule #3 – Instant Gratification

Make your lead magnet accessible as soon as the button has been clicked.

Some people send a link to the lead magnet in an email once the person has confirmed their email address.

I have my optin forms configured so that the lead magnet loads in the next screen as soon as the visitor has pressed the button. I’m taking a gamble that the email address is valid, but I believe this approach is more in keeping with what people want and expect.

If you use this approach, you have the advantage of being able to say “Instant Access” on your optin form.

Comments

Thanks for an awesome, practical, detailed and in every way, a fantastic blog post!!
You’re right when you say the money is in the list. And as bloggers, our email list is our greatest and most prized asset. Any blogger who doesn’t have a strategy for building their list is limiting their ability to hack in this ever changing environment in which we operate.

As anyone who has attempted to grow their list will testify, building an email list can be difficult.

And the reason is simple.

Our prospects are probably already on a hundred and one email lists, and are getting bombarded daily with advertising messages. So the last thing they want is to get more junk in their email inbox from yet another company or individual trying to sell them stuff!

That’s why it’s so critical to understand the importance of creating a compelling offer, through the use of lead magnets. And as you rightly put it, the use of “amazing lead magnets and high-converting optin forms”!

I consider myself a list grow strategist and help people build large lists that they can monetize, but I must say that I have picked up some really useful ideas and tips from your post. And by far, my greatest takeaway is The Three Golden Rules of Optin Forms. I particularly like Rule #1 – Avoiding words that turn people off.

Hi Pedro, great to see you here again! And thanks for your great comment! I agree, the words on the optin form can make all the difference (“Download Now” vs “Subscribe”). So glad you found it useful and thanks for the share! Best regards, Rob.

I don’t offer a formal lead magnet…but after readers read a post or 2, they understand that I have hundreds of lead magnets available. Sign up. List grows. I doubled my list over the past 3 months by writing practical, helpful posts geared towards solving people’s problems, and by helping folks with my eBook, audio book and course releases. For me, it has been about offering just what my readers want and melding that offering with what feels fun to create. So far, so good.

PS….guest posting and blog commenting had a wee bit to do with growing my list quickly, too 😉

Thanks, glad you found it useful. Coupons work well as lead magnets. Here’s an example: https://m.katespade.com/sale/. Good to remember though that coupons work best when the prospect is towards the end of the sales funnel.

Hello
Rob,
Glad to read your post. All the points are effective to 5x mail list with a lead magnet. I have read the whole post and learned something new. E-mail is very effective way to build relationship with readers.

In this post you finished my confusion how to use lead magnet to grow e-mail list.

Hi Praveen, I’m really glad my article was helpful and that I was able to provide some clarity on how to use lead magnets. Thanks so much for your feedback. All the best with your list building! Best regards, Rob.

Hey Freddy, thanks for your comment. I’m glad it was helpful. Building your list is one of the keys to successful blogging or for any online business. I often see interviews where big name bloggers are asked what was their biggest mistake – they nearly all say something like: “Waiting a year before building my list”. Sounds like you’re going well with your list! Cheers, Rob 🙂

Hi Mike, thanks for your comment. I’ve never used quizzes as a lead magnet but it’s on my list of things to do. Quizzes work well as lead magnets because they’re interactive and they give the user the feeling of being in a conversation. They also give a result that tells the user something about themselves, and that really appeals to people. So I think they’re great. Ramit Sethi uses a quiz as a lead magnet: https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/. Best regards, Rob.

Hi Mike, the best thing to do is let the subscriber know that you’ll be sending them further emails at intervals. If you do double-optin, the initial email containing the confirmation link could contain a short paragraph where you explain that they’ll be receiving further emails from you every time you publish a new post, but no more than once a week (or whatever your frequency is). That way you have advised them before they subscribed, and then you’re entirely ethical. Best regards, Rob.

These are excellent tips. I haven’t tried offering a swipe file but it’s an excellent idea. I launched an ebook last week and offering a free chapter & a pre recorded webinar has allowed my list to skyrocket!

It’s one of the best blog posts I have ever read on the lead magnets. As far as my experience is concerned, I’ve tested a lead magnet and it worked for me.

However, my lead magnet’s success was due to a guest post that I wrote for a blog. So, I learned that it’s not just about a good lead magnet, in fact, the platform matters as well. The result could have been different if I didn’t use guest posting.

That’s awesome! Thanks for the comment. I agree with you, the effectiveness of a lead magnet depends very much on the platform or context in which you offer it. For example, I’ve found that content upgrades in guest posts (which I think is what you’re referring to) have the highest conversion rate of all my lead magnets.

I think the key is – as you said so eloquently – to offer something of tremendous value for absolutely nothing other than the email address. Whether it be a video library or an e-book or a checklist, it has to be very valuable to the person. I also really like the phrasing you chose to avoid “subscribe” or “opt in.” I never would have thought about that! Very impressive post. Wishing you tons of success. 🙂RDB Design recently posted…What is Local SEO and Why is it Important for Your Business?

Thanks Bob, great comment! Two other good alternatives to ‘Subscribe’ and ‘Join’ are “Sounds Good!” and “Yes, Let’s Do It!”. As CTAs they’re more upbeat and more inviting. Thanks again. To your success, Rob.